Yoon Responds to Lawsuit with Speed Tactics... Choo Notified to Attend Disciplinary Review Committee on the 2nd

Ministry of Justice Sets Disciplinary Review Date for Next Month 2... Preliminary Examination May Be Skipped

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Bae Kyunghwan] Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae has confirmed and notified the attendance date for Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol's disciplinary committee as December 2nd. The Ministry of Justice has officially begun the procedure to discipline Prosecutor General Yoon, making it highly likely that the preliminary review stage before the disciplinary hearing will be skipped. Many expect that the disciplinary committee, which will strongly reflect Minister Choo's intentions, will decide on 'dismissal' for Prosecutor General Yoon.

On the 26th, the Ministry of Justice announced that, according to the Prosecutor Disciplinary Act, the disciplinary hearing date for Prosecutor General Yoon was set for December 2nd, and the attendance date was communicated to Yoon, who is the subject of the disciplinary charges.

The disciplinary committee, composed of seven members, is chaired by Minister Choo. The Vice Minister of Justice attends, along with two prosecutors appointed by the Minister of Justice and three external members commissioned by the Minister of Justice. However, since Minister Choo is both the chairperson and the one who requested the disciplinary action, she may not participate in the deliberation. Even so, the committee is effectively filled with personnel aligned with Minister Choo's intentions.

Before convening the committee, a preliminary review may be conducted depending on the case. According to Article 15 (Preliminary Review), Paragraph 1 of the Prosecutor Disciplinary Act, "The committee may designate members to conduct a preliminary review if deemed necessary for case deliberation." However, since the Ministry of Justice notified Prosecutor General Yoon of the attendance date on this day, many view this process as having been skipped. Previously, Minister Choo revised the inspection regulation from "must seek advice from the Ministry of Justice Inspection Committee on important inspection matters" to "may seek advice," and immediately applied this to begin a full-scale inspection of Prosecutor General Yoon.

The disciplinary committee passes disciplinary measures by a majority vote of attending members. Disciplinary actions include dismissal, removal, suspension, pay reduction, and reprimand. If a pay reduction or higher is decided, the President executes it upon Minister Choo's recommendation. In fact, all conclusions could be reached within next month.

In legal circles, it is expected that the Ministry of Justice will focus on securing additional disciplinary grounds by December 2nd. The fact that Minister Choo immediately launched an additional inspection the day after announcing Yoon's suspension from duty is interpreted in this context. However, a problem may be raised that the inspection results were unilaterally announced without reflecting Prosecutor General Yoon's rebuttal during the disciplinary committee. In response, Minister Choo is expected to argue "inspection refusal," while Yoon will counter with the logic of an "illegal inspection process."

A legal insider said, "Although the Ministry of Justice disciplinary committee is highly likely to conclude with Minister Choo's intentions fully reflected, Prosecutor General Yoon is also likely to rebut each disciplinary ground specified by the Minister through his legal counsel during the committee."

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